Polyurethane sealant compositions typically comprise at least one urethane prepolymer. Adhesives useful for bonding to non-porous substrates, such as glass are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,237 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,533, both incorporated herein by reference. Window installation in a vehicle is typically a three-stage process. First, a clear silane primer is applied to the glass to clean and prepare the surface for bonding. Second, a primer, which is essentially a carbon black dispersion which also contains a compound having silane and/or isocyanate functionality, often referred to as “black-out primer”, is then applied over the top of the clear primer. Third, an adhesive is applied to the primed glass which is then installed into the structure. For vehicles and some buildings, these materials are applied to a frit of a ceramic enamel or an organic coating located about the periphery of the window. The frit is designed to protect the adhesive from exposure to UV light and to hide the adhesive and/or trim components from view, see, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,905, incorporated herein by reference. Further, when such compositions are used to bond glass substrates to painted substrates, such as for instance, window installation in vehicle manufacturing, the lap shear strength of the bonded substrate may be less than desirable for safety or structural purposes. Consequently, a separate paint primer comprising a solution of one or more silanes and/or isocyanate compounds is often applied to a painted substrate prior to the application of the composition in most vehicle assembly operations for bonding the windshield and the rear window.
In order for a primer and adhesive system to be commercially viable, that system must provide a durable bond. “Durable bond” means that the adhesive holds the window into the structure for a period of years. As the structure to which window glass or plastic coated with an abrasion resistant coating is traditionally bonded lasts for a significant number of years, it is expected that the bond holding the glass or coated plastic into a structure also last a significant number of years.
Adhesive systems utilized in bonding glass into structures often contain fillers. Fillers are added for a variety of reasons including to reduce the cost of the adhesive, to add strength or to color the adhesive. The problem is that if too much filler is added, the inherent properties of the adhesive can be compromised. The conventional wisdom is that the initial strength and the long term adhesion to substrates is reduced to unacceptable levels if large amounts of fillers are utilized in such adhesives.
It would be desirable to provide a composition which contains high levels of fillers which provides a bonded structure with lap shear strengths which meet industry standards and which allows for durable adhesion of the composition to the substrate surfaces.